Egyptians seek more 'balanced' vote in second round of parliamentary elections [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Voting continues in the second round of the Egyptian general elections and will last until tomorrow, Thursday. Over 18 million Egyptian constituents are expected to take part in the vote. This round covers nine provinces including Giza, Suez, and Ismailia. The Egyptian High Elections Commission decided to shut down six electoral committees at Shajara al-Durr School in the Giza constituency after it received allegations that the judges supervising these committees rigged the vote in favor of the Freedom and Justice Party. The judges completely denied these allegations.

Reporter, Male #2
Since early morning, Egyptians have been flocking to the polls. The turnouts are medium in some areas and high in others. The second round, which will last two days, covers nine provinces: Giza, Monufia, Sharqia, Beheira, Ismailia, Suez, Beni Suef, Sohag, and Aswan. Nearly 19 million voters are expected to participate in this round, in which over 3,300 candidates are competing for 180 seats in the parliament. The voters unanimously agreed that this year's elections are different from any elections in the past.

Guest, Female #1
Last year there were no real elections. It was a mockery; they forced people not to vote. But this year is different. There is actually freedom, democracy, and the turnout is high.

Guest, Male #3
This is the first time I'm voting. Today is the very first time that I am voting after all these long years.

Reporter, Male #2
Since the Islamist groups gained an apparent advantage in the first round of elections by winning around 60 percent of the votes, Egyptians seem eager to achieve some kind of balance for the representation in parliament in this round.

Guest, Female #2
We need a balance among the political parties in parliament in order for it to speak for all people. There should also be a fair representation for the minorities in the People's Assembly.

Guest, Male #4
I hope that the parliament will represent all groups equally. There is competition among the parliamentary representatives, but this rivalry should only be for the interests of the citizens.

Reporter, Male #2
The second round is not free of the violations that occurred in the first round. Despite the military forces' announcement of its determination to remove any form of campaigning at the polling stations, reports indicate election campaigning took place right in front of the electoral committees in certain constituencies. In addition, vote-buying was reported in other constituencies. Clashes with firearms among supporters of the candidates hindered the voting process for hours at the polling stations in the two provinces of Giza and Sharqia. The elections were postponed in three constituencies, Beheira, Monufia and Sohag, due to the judicial rulings to include the lists of political parties on the ballots. Foreign governments continued to monitor the election process in this round. As the US ambassador to Cairo asked voters about their experience in the elections, the voters also took the chance to ask her about the US's stance on the Islamists' lead in the first round of elections.

Guest, Female #3 (Anne Patterson, US Ambassador to Cairo)
The American government will work with the people that the Egyptians elect, whomever they may be.

Reporter, Male #2
As for overseas Egyptians, the voting ended for them yesterday. Their vote-count is expected to end today. Data indicates that 70 percent of expatriate Egyptians voted, which is ten percent higher than in the first round. Mohamed Sayyed, BBC.

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Iraqi city celebrates pullout of US troops [Press TV, Iran]

Moving on to other news, thousands of residents of the Iraqi city of Fallujah have celebrated the withdrawal of American soldiers from their country. Demonstrators set the US flag on fire. The demonstrators shouted slogans in support of what they called resistance against American invaders. Fallujah has a population of about half a million people and is located west of the capital Baghdad. The city was attacked by US forces in 2004 and 2005. The US military used white phosphorus against the city and killed hundreds of civilians. The city also saw a rise in the number of birth defects the years following the attacks.

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Obama's speech at Fort Bragg marks end of Iraq war [Press TV, Iran]

Nearly nine years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, US President Barack Obama has marked a symbolic end to the war. The president and the First Lady Michelle welcomed some of the last troops returning home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Obama paid tribute to the troops who died or were injured in the prolonged battle. Nearly 4,500 American service members and 60,000 Iraqis were killed in the aftermath of the invasion. Obama acknowledged that the post-war Iraq is not a perfect place and has many challenges ahead. Still, he argued that Iraq is now a stable country with a government elected by its people. All US soldiers are scheduled to pull out of Iraq by the end of this month.

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IDF clashes with right-wing activists following 'price tag' attacks [IBA, Israel]

In our top story, clashes erupted a short time ago here in Jerusalem between police and right-wing extremists. The police raided a location in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in other to arrest suspects in connection to the recent "price tag attacks." When they arrived, officers were met with organized resistance from activists trying to prevent the suspects from being detained. During the melee the rioters confronted officers, slashed tires, and smashed windows of several police vehicles. Several and police searched the apartment, confiscating various items and documents to be used as evidence.

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MK says IDF should have shot rioters attacking military base [IBA, Israel]

In a fierce statement to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, former Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said that soldiers should have used deadly force against the gang of criminals who raided a West Bank military base. The soldiers clashed with intruders and arrested several of them, but Ben-Eliezer said it was a shame they didn't open fire. He went on to say that if someone attempts to kill you, you kill them first. Ben-Eliezer charged that the right-wing activists nearly murdered an IDF commander and called the attack a clear act of terrorism.

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Mugrhabi Bridge reopens after two-day closure [IBA, Israel]

The Mughrabi Bridge connecting the Western Wall Plaza to the Temple Mount was reopened this morning just two days after being closed by the Jerusalem municipality. The move was taken under the condition that a fire truck be stationed nearby so that the ramp will not go up in flames. National Union MKs Uri Ariel and Arye Eldad visited the temple mount today via that bridge and called on the government to erect a sound structure rather than rely on temporary measures.

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Syria faces surge of violence as Assad's brigades invade Hama, kill 32 civilians [Future TV, Lebanon]

Reporter, Female #1
Syrian activists confirmed that Assad's brigades stormed the city of Hama and killed 32 civilians. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced the deaths of eight Syrian troops in an ambush set-up by defectors in the countryside of Hama. This news comes as the opposition's strike enters its fourth day.

Reporter, Male #1
A heinous military escalation was launched by Assad's brigades in an attempt to minimize the effects of the anti-regime strike and also to prevent the Syrian opposition from escalating its mobilization to stage a civil disobedience campaign. Syrian opposition websites reported that five civilians were killed today in the early morning hours. The victims were on their way to the city of Qala'at Madiq when their car was hit by an artillery shell near the town of Khatab, west of Hama. The sources added that residential homes in the area of Hader came under live fire and artillery shelling in an attempt to terrorize the residents. In response, the Free Syrian Army set up a retaliatory ambush targeting a group of four military jeeps. Eight Syrian troops were killed in the ambush. Amid the continuing military operation in Idlib, and amid reports of massacres committed against residents, Syrian security forces stormed several cities and villages. Incoming reports confirmed that Assad's brigades attempted to besiege the town of Harak in Daraa and impose a curfew in its eastern areas, amid sporadic gunfire. In the town of al-Bukamal, Assad's brigades have reportedly carried out acts of robbery and arson, targeting businesses taking part in the strike. Amid the spread of street protests, the Syrian army is facing a new wave of defections. Colonel Ahmad al-Sheikh and a group of officers announced their defection to the Free Syrian Army.

Guest, Male #2 (Colonel Ahmad al-Sheikh)
I'm Colonel Ahmad Mohammad al-Sheikh, with the 146 brigade, ground forces. I hereby announce my defection from the beast's deadly gangs due to their crimes against the civilians demanding freedom and dignity.

Reporter, Male #1
These developments coincided with the second round of the general strike launched last Sunday. The second round of the strike includes powering off mobile phones for four straight hours, shutting down schools, and cutting off main roads leading to city as well as the town's entrances. The third phase of the strike includes wide participation by the education sector, most notably university councils. The fourth stage will target the transportation sector in a bid to paralyze it as well as shut down the main roads between the cities. The fifth stage includes a strike by state employees, which will be followed by the closure of international highways, marking the beginning of the sixth and last phase. The anti-regime residents took to the streets at night in massive demonstrations, following a bloody day that claimed the lives of more than 40 people across various regions in the country. Most of the violence and killing against the demonstrators took place in Idlib Province.

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Yemenis stage fresh protests against Saleh, JPM, and Riyadh Agreement [Al-Alam, Iran]

Reporter, Female #1
Tens of thousands of Yemenis staged a massive demonstration in the capital Sanaa demanding the collapse of the Riyadh Agreement and the resignation of Basindwa's government. In Taiz Province south of the capital, a massive demonstration was held to denounce the new government and the Riyadh Agreement signed between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Joint Meeting Parties, JMP. The protestors, who rallied in front of the provincial building, said that the coalition government doesn't represent them, adding that any government that doesn't emerge from the Freedom and Change Squares "lacks legitimacy." The demonstrators also vowed to continue their escalation until President's Saleh's and the JMP's regime is toppled. They viewed the Saudi-sponsored agreement as a foreign and internal conspiracy aimed at aborting their revolution. In the coastal city of Hudaida, a massive demonstration was held demanding the collapse of the Riyadh Agreement brokered between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the JMP. The demonstrators also demanded the trial of elements withink Saleh's regime.

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Protestors condemn 'international silence' on violence in Bahrain at UN headquarters in Manama [Al-Alam, Iran]

Reporter, Female #1
Today, the Bahraini village of Qaryah witnessed brutal crackdowns by the authority's forces against peaceful demonstrators demanding the downfall of the regime. The authorities fired live ammunition, rubber bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas at the protestors. Also in Bahrain, the residents of Aker Village took to the streets in a massive demonstration denouncing the demolition of mosques by the Saudi-backed regime's forces as part of a policy adopted since the spark of protests last February. Under the slogan "Bahrain without human rights," Bahraini opposition groups held a sit-in rally in front of the UN headquarters in the capital Manama. The demonstrators protested the silence of international organizations on the human rights violations committed by the authorities against the Bahraini people. Representatives from the various political blocs, who called for the sit-in, submitted a letter to the UN Human Rights Commissioner in Bahrain, urging all international organizations, most notably the UN, to intervene and end the grave violations committed by the forces of the Saudi-backed regime. Among the violations cited are attacks against women's honor, acts of detention, the torture of women, and the demolition of mosques.

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Iraqis protest Diyala provincial council's decision to be independent region [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]

Presenter, Female #1
Protests broke out in a number of areas in Diyala rejecting the provincial council's decision to declare the province an independent administrative and economic region.

Presenter, Male #1
Protestors marched across the streets of Baqubah, the villages of al-Khalis County, Salam District, and Muqdadiyah. They carried banners and chanted slogans rejecting division, partition and sectarianism, and calling for national unity.

Reporter, Male #2
"No, no to the region" is the message from the residents of the two counties of Muqdadiyah and al-Khalis to the provincial council, which lacked a majority vote to declare the province an administrative region, in a spontaneous and peaceful demonstration that flooded the streets of the city known as the "City of Orange." Residents of Baqubah city joined the demonstration and the masses of protestors stood in front of the provincial council building, raising their voices of condemnation and denunciation, and threatening to hold a sit-in if the provincial council insists on implementing its decision. We walked among the protestors and interviewed them about the province's declaration to be a region. Their rejection to the declaration was firm, and is based on national consideration connected to the country's unity and sovereignty.

Guest, Male #3 (Ibrahim Mohamed, Citizen)
We do not accept, we do not accept, and we do not accept the decision to declare this province a separate region. And we will march on this path until death!

Guest, Male #4 (Amr Ali, Citizen)
We will not accept partition, sectarianism, and humiliation. Diyala is part of the country, and the country is one!

Reporter, Male #2
Even officials in the province had a firm stance on the issue and rejected the decision. Their statements were in harmony with the citizens' words.

Guest, Male #5 (Sadiq al-Hosseini, Deputy Chairman of Diyala Provincial Council)
The council of ministers promised us that a meeting would be convened on December 21 with his Excellency the prime minister. Then the problems of Diyala Province will be brought forth to his Excellency the prime minister.

Guest, Male #6, (Essam Shakir, Member of Diyala Provincial Council)
The session was not held at the provincial council, nor was it attended by members of the provincial council, nor the chairman of the council, nor his deputy. The law requires attendance from the council's chairman and his deputy in order to convene a session. Therefore, the decision at this time in fact serves terrorism and terrorists and those trying to fish in murky waters. This is the honest truth.

Reporter, Male #2
Others believed this step was politicized by parties inside the provincial council who are supported by politicians in the capital Baghdad, and who in turn carry out their agendas dictated by foreign powers.

Guest, Male #7 (Engineer Faleh al-Ameri, Deputy of Minister of Construction and Housing)
This move seemed to be rushed and politicized by a group of members in the provincial council. The evidence is that the governor and the head of the provincial council did not know.

Reporter, Male #2
The local councils for the counties of al-Khalis, Muqdadiyah and Baqubah unanimously issued a decision rejecting the province's declaration to be an administrative region. In addition, they say they will take to the streets for a sit-in if the provincial council does not retract yesterday's decision. Haidar Shakur, al-Iraqiya.

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Kenyan troops to drive deeper into Somali rebel territory by month's end [Al Jazeera English, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
In Somalia, the joint Kenyan-Somali forces said they are preparing to advance further into the vital areas controlled by Shabab al-Mujahideen at the end of December.

Presenter, Male #1
These forces say their military operation in northern Somalia aims at eliminating Shabab's militants and providing necessary security for international relief organizations, as well as distributing aid to the famine stricken people.

Presenter, Female #1
The joint forces halted their advance for ten days due to a heavy rainstorm.

Reporter, Female #2
The rain came so late this year that the Somali lands dried out, causing a famine. Now the rain has stopped and the joint Kenyan-Somali troops did not wait long to continue their push into the vital areas controlled by Shabab al-Mujahideen. The end of December is the scheduled date for their further advance into rebel territories. Kenyan forces entered southern Somalia in the mid-October after international relief workers were repeatedly targeted by Shabab's attacks. So far, their military operations have been successful in forcing Shabab to withdraw from three regions. Ras Kamboni is one of them. Here you find poverty, hunger, and an imminent need for international aid which wasn't delivered due to security conditions.

Guest, Male #3 (Saif Saeed Rashid, Commander in Kenyan Army)
They welcomed us here. In addition to the security that we provide here, we cannot watch the civilians suffer. Therefore we're providing them with limited food and medicine.

Reporter, Female #2
But all this is not enough for the victims of malnutrition and a war by their enemy.

Guest, Male #4
I say to the Somali leaders and the international community that we need major support.

Reporter, Female #2
The United Nations says it needs at least 1.5 billion US dollars to fight the famine in the Horn of Africa. The famine has killed tens of thousands of Somalis so far. When the world finally took action, Shabab al-Mujahideen gave warnings to 16 relief organizations. The Shabab militants are accused of kidnapping foreign employees and attacking humanitarian aid convoys. According to Nairobi, Shabab militants planted landmines along the Kenyan-Somali border to prevent the joint forces from advancing. The danger does not change the plan aimed at ending Shabab's control over southern parts of the country including the coastal city of Kismayo. Caught in between the joint forces and the African Union troops, which may reinforce its deployments in Somalia soon according to the UN secretary-general, Shabab's time seems limited and its geographic realm seems at risk of dwindling.